It’s common to think of joy and suffering as polar opposites: joy feels light, suffering feels heavy. Joy is something we pursue; suffering is something we endure. Joy is award-like; suffering feels like defeat. But when we look closely at our own lives—and at the life of Christ—we see something surprising: joy and suffering are not enemies. They can coexist. In fact, suffering can shape our capacity for joy in ways we don’t expect.
This might sound counterintuitive, especially if you’re in the middle of a hard week, a stressful job, school pressures, relational tension, or the daily grind of family life. But the truth is not that suffering creates joy, but that suffering often becomes the soil in which a deeper joy takes root.
Joy Isn’t the Same as Happiness
The first step in understanding this is to distinguish joy from happiness. Happiness is often tied to circumstances—it depends on things going well. It’s that warm feeling when you get good news, enjoy time with loved ones, or experience a moment of success.
Joy, on the other hand, is deeper. It’s a sense of peace and purpose that stays with us even when things aren’t going well. Joy doesn’t ignore pain; it transforms it.
In The God of Joy and the Problem of Pain, Jorge Ordeig Corsini tackles this head-on. He invites readers into a faith-filled reflection on the nature of suffering and why God allows it—not as a punishment, but as part of a mystery that touches every life. Corsini helps us see that joy is not merely a sticker you slap on life’s hard parts; it’s a way of seeing life that Jesus Himself embodied.
Suffering Shapes the Heart for Joy
Have you ever noticed how a moment of hardship can awaken a deeper gratitude afterward? Or how surviving a difficult season can make future blessings feel more vivid and precious? That’s not accident. Suffering tends to uproot superficial attachments and strip away illusions of control. In the process, it can open our hearts to what truly matters.
This doesn’t mean we should chase suffering or romanticize pain. But it does mean that when suffering comes—and it will—it doesn’t† automatically cancel out the possibility of joy. Instead, it can refine our capacity to experience joy at a deeper level, rooted in the presence of God rather than the flicker of good moments.
For a college student wrestling with identity and purpose, suffering might come as confusion or rejection. For a young professional, it might show up as burnout or unmet goals. For parents, it might be the exhaustion that comes with loving young children. For married couples, it might be seasons of distance or misunderstanding. In all these cases, suffering reveals where our hearts are tethered—and invites us to tether them to something stronger than circumstance.
Living Joy in the Midst of Suffering
So how do you practice joy when life feels hard?
1. Acknowledge the pain honestly.
Don’t pretend you’re fine. Bring your honest feelings to God in prayer. God doesn’t need polished words; He wants your presence.
2. Look for small graces each day.
Joy often hides in overlooked corners: a phone call with a friend, a few minutes of sunlight, a quiet moment with coffee before chaos begins. These moments don’t erase suffering, but they remind you that joy is not captive to circumstances.
3. Stay connected to community.
Suffering can isolate us, but joy thrives in relationships—whether that’s family, friends, or a faith community. Lean into people who can pray with you, listen well, and reflect God’s love back to you.
4. Ground your hope in something bigger.
Joy rooted in eternity is quieter but more durable. Corsini’s book invites us to see Jesus—not as a distant comforter, but as One who enters into our pain and transforms it from within.
Joy and Suffering Together
Ultimately, joy and suffering aren’t opposites because they both point us toward the same Source: God. Happiness shrinks when life gets hard, but joy expands when Christ becomes the center of our hope.
This is not just abstract theology. It’s practical. It changes how you respond to a difficult workweek, a lonely evening, a season of unanswered prayer, or a moment of disappointment. It invites you to say, “I don’t understand all of this, but I trust that God is with me—and even here, joy can exist.”
Joy doesn’t replace suffering, but it reframes it. And when we let God meet us in both, we discover a deeper, truer joy than we ever imagined possible.
